food sponge

Natural Oysters

Not too much to say about these super fresh, plump gorgeous oysters, except they were the perfect combination of creamy & crunchy. Two dozen eaten straight out of the plastic tray. The oysters tasted brilliant with a simple squeeze of lemon & a dash of soy sauce. Sourced from Coffin Bay oysters from South Australia & purhcased from Kailis Bros Fish Market in Leederville.

I don’t like to order freshly shucked oysters in a restaurant. Other than usually incredibly expensive, I absolutely hate picking bits of grit & shell out my mouth afterwards. Completely ruins the luxurious oyster experience. So my husband & I like to buy either the unopened oysters from the seafood stall in Fremantle Markets & shuck them ourselves, or buy them already opened at a good quality fish market. I carefully wash each one under running water to remove all the grit, then place the oyster meat back in the shell & let them rest for about 10-15 minutes. This allows the oyster to secrete their natural juices again so it tastes, once again, like a fresh clean oyster.

Seoul Korean Buffet

A weeknight family dinner gathering to enjoy both Korean BBQ & steamboat dinner. I have been here twice before many years ago in its previous life as an ala carte Korean restaurant, minus the current table modifications & buffet display. For my Korean cravings, I usually go to Took Begi on Pier Street in Perth for simple well-priced hearty Korean food.

The evening began with the waitress introducing the cooking equipment that was embedded into the customised table containing a steamboat pot & a BBQ plate on top of gas burners, & then a quick presentation of the buffet ingredients & dining procedure. I like selecting your own ingredients to cook; piling your plates up with different types of raw marinated meats, squid tentacles, tofu, raw prawns, fish paste balls, noodles & vegetables. I don’t like dining on compact tables which do not have enough room to accommodate 4 people with dining plates, soup bowls, chopsticks, spoons, water glasses, tongs, ladles, water jug, & the obligatory Korean dipping sauces, pickles & chillies. These steamboat/BBQ tables should really be made wider. It makes for a cramped dining experience in an already noisy & cramped dining space.

Highlight Freshly grilled marinated meats quickly dunked into the simple light Korean sauce. I don’t know what it’s called but it goes well with everything.
Lowlight Other than smelling like a smoky BBQ afterwards, a bit of thoughtful interior space planning & design could create a more ergonomic & presentable environment. By ergonomic, I refer to ease of navigating your way through the tables & chairs, the amount of space between tables, arrangement of the buffet stations & the size of the tables.

Rating 1.5 chilli chicken drumsticks out of 5

Details Seoul Korean Buffet 425 Albany Highway  Victoria Park  Western Australia  T 9470 1133